Flushing valve mechanism



April 28, 1953 R. w. sKuTT Erm. 2,636,184

FLUSHING VALVE MECHANISM Filed Feb. 12, 1951 I4 w. nventors Bg V /M/ Gttornegs "tion of water is a prime requisite.' vknown a wasteful practice occurs in the flushing Patented Apr. 28, 1953 vvUNITED STATES. IPATENT OFFICE Ralph w. shun una Cornelius n. sima, Olympia, Wash.

Application February 12, 1951, Serial No. 210,546

Claims.

Our invention relates to water tanks for disposal bowls, and, more particularly, to a. flushing `valve mechanism for use in connection with toilet water tanks. i

In many communities of the country there are occasions where the water supply is either inadequate or the cost is so high that conserva- As is well of a toilet bowl which normally has a ow suicient to handle the usual capacity of the bowl in respect to liquids and solids but that same flow ris---and must-also be used to ush purely liquid `iiushor a partial flush, and the requirement that substantial portions of the prior mechanism. be

vabandoned and new components supplied in order to adapt the flush tank for the short flush" operation.

Having in mind these and other. objections it has been among the important objects of our invention to provide a device that is easily and simply constructed and as easily and simply installed in a present day water tank to adapt it for selective flushing without requiring the rei placement of the normally provided mechanism, or without changing its normal operation in any `material respect as far as a .full iiush is concerned, and which can be attached to and incorporated in a toilet water flush tank by the lesser skilled home mechanics employing the .2 tools usually available to such persons. More specifically it is included in our aims in this invention to provide a means which operates upon the usual ball valve lifter arm to, rst. positively indicate to an operator that he has lifted said arm to a point where the water will iiow without the valve oating and, second, permit the oper- `ator with the same motion and but slightly greater application of force to continue moving the manually operated crank in the same direction to produce a full iiush of the tank. all Without changing the present mechanism or its normal mode of operation.

These and other'objects ofthei'inventionwill l 2 become apparent during the course of the following specification of our invention when taken in view of the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partially schematic, showing the preferred construction and normal mode of operation of flush valve limiting means; and

Figure 2 -is an exploded view in perspective showing the usual flush valve parts and the device of our invention as incorporated therein. In the usual toilet water tank, a body of water I0 is contained within a tank I2 having a lower discharge outlet I4 which is provided with an upper valve seat I6 on which sits the buoyant valve ball I8 to contain the water body IIl within the tank. The tank is flushed by the raising of the valve ball I8 off the seat whereupon the water in the tank drains with a rush into the bowl to carry out the flushing operation. The valve ball `I8 has an upstanding stem 20 which has a slip connection at 22 with lifting link 24 that in turn is connected on its upper end to the lifting lever26. When the lifting lever raises the link 24 the buoyant ball I8 is raised off the seat on the dischargeoutlet and the ball tends to float while the water level recedes to a point where the ball is drawn back into position to close the outlet. This drawing back operation is performed by suction imparted by the outflowing water and, when seated the rubber valve ball I8 is held in place by the water pressure above it.

Raising of the lifter lever 26 is attained by means of crank arm 28, normally disposed ex'- ternally of tank I2, and crank pin 30 that extends to internally of the tank where it is connected to lever 26 by means of set screw 32 bearing on recess 33. The crank pin 30 is journaled in fianged bushing 34 thatis clamped in a suit'- able opening (not shown) in the water tank wall by means of the internal flange-nut SIB, there being a threaded connection between the bushing and the nut. Nut 36 as shown has spaced apart stop bosses that lie on either side of the lifting lever `in the assembly and limit its upward and downward travel. The mechanism shown is of 'the single action type in which the operating crank arm 28 is usually horizontal andis depressed by the operator to `produce a lifting action to raise the rubber valve ball I'8.

We have determined that, intermediate the normal lower or at rest position of the valve ball and its upper iioating position whichit assumes when a full iiush is taking place, there is a point to which the valve ballmay be raised at which 'some' water will-.flow out of the outlet sufficient to provide a short ush but at which point the valve will not float. For example a standard toilet water tank with which we have worked extensively is so arranged that the ball valve I8 may be raised to between three fourths and one inch without the valve floating and it is among the more pertinent aims of this invention to provide means for accommodating such a lifting action while at the same time with the same movement by the operator but to a slightly greater degree to accomplish a full flush as Well if such is desired. The term partial iiush positionl when used herein is defined as that position of valve ball i8 or lifting lever 26, Whichever is appropriate in context, Where there is flushing with a substantial body of Water without the valve ball i8 floating. In other words, the suction on valve ball I3 due to the action of Water passing through the outlet i4 is great enough in the partial flush position to overcome the tendency of valve ball I3 to oat ldue to its buoyancy. Conversely, the term full flush position when used herein, is defined as that position of the valve ball it or lifting lever 2'6, where valve ball lil floats and will not returnv to block outlet Hl vuntil the water level in the tank i2 falls tothe may be clamped to the interior wall of the tank l2 by means of flange nut 3. W'hile'we have "not shown such, it will be apparent that resilient washers may be interposed into the assembly Ito insure tight frictional contact between the parts 'et-nd, further, that no undue pressures are applied about the tanky wall opening as in the case of ceramic tanks.

The nger arm 4t extends from its axis outward in generally parallel direction to the lever 26 and has at its outer end an outstanding ear all. To the ear is pivotally connected by bolt t the blade d'6 which constitutes a shelf. Overlying blade 46 is the downwardly bowed spring blade :l which is usually disposed in the path ofthe lifting lever 2'6. In the preferred` form of the invention it is desirable in order to accommodate many makes of equipment that the tension and disposition of` the spring blade lil be varied and for that reason between shelf l5 and blade 48 is placed anadjusting screw Sie which, depending upon how far apart the blade and shelf are spread regulates the tension on the blade and its vertical location in the levers path.

The operation of our device is very simple. `As the user of the device depressed the crank handle 2&3v the lifting lever 26 rises` within the tank until it contacts the blade ll. This contact is readily felt by the user and if he desires merely to briefly flush the toilet bowl he will hold thevalve thus far opened until satisfactory flushing is accomplished. Should it be his desire` to impart a full iiush, the operator merely overrides the pressure ofv blade ii@ at which time the valve ball will be raised to the upper dotted line position in Figure l wherer it floats until the tank water level has receded and suction on the ball draws it to the discharge outlet of the tank. The solid line showing of Figure l depicts the condition prevailingl in the mechanism when a short flush is beingv carried out. l g

It will be apparent from the foregoing that we have provided a simple, efiicient and extremely .ussfuhlimitins means .for finish tank valves of 4 the iioatable type. It should be equally apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and alterations may be made within that normal skill and without materially departing from the invention. We therefore intend to protect to ourselves by this patent those forms of devices which are the mechanical equivalents of our preferred form as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention asdened in the subjoinedclams taken in view of the prior art. i

Having thus described our invention and its operation, we claim:

. 1. In a flushing-water tank of the type wherein a vertically movable valve element normally closes the outlet and a lifting lever is provided within the tank for operating the valve element to displace it vertically from said outlet and a manually operable crank arm is disposed externally of the tank and connected by means of a crank pin with said lever to lift the same, the combination, comprising: a iinger arm disposed in juxtaposed, side-by-side relationship to said lifting lever and means securing said finger arm in a fixed position in relation to said tank; a downwardly-biased, spring-pressed finger carried by said finger arm and located above said lifting lever in the path of travel of the same, said 'spring-pressed nnger forming a resilient stop for said lifting lever and being positioned at such a level as to press against said lifting lever when it 'reaches a partial-flush position, said springpressed finger having suflicient resistance to ful"- tner upward movement of said lifting lever to be discernible oy feel of the operator upon manual movement of the crank arm externally of the tank, said spring-pressed lever being capable of being overcome by simple force applied to the crank arm by the operator to produce raising of the valve element to a full-flush position.

2. In a flushing-water tank of thetype Wherein a vertically movable valve element normally closes the outlet and a lifting lever is provided within the tank for operating the valve element to displace it' vertically from said outlet anda manually operable. crank arm is disposed extertial-flush position, said spring blade having sufficient resistance to further upward movement 'of said lifting lever as to be discernible by feel of the operator upon manual movement of the crank arm externally of the tank, said spring blade being capable of being overcome by simple force applied. to thecra'nk arrn bythe operator to produce raisingrofi the valve element to a fulliiush position.

3. In a flushing-water tank of 'the type wherein a vertically movable valve element normally closes the outlet and a lifting lever is provided within the tank for `operating the valve element to displace it vertically from said outlet and-a manually operable ,'crankarm is disposed externally of the tank, and connected by means :of a crank pin with said lever to lift the same,- the combination,... comprising: ya. ringer arm disposed in juxtaposed, side-by-side relationship to said lifting lever and means securing said iinger arm in a iixed position in relation to said tank; said :linger arm having an outstanding shelf and a downwardly-bowed spring blade anchored at one end to said finger arm and overlying said shelf and having its other end located above said lifting lever in the path of travel of the same, screw means between said shelf and said spring blade for varying the tension `on the latter, said spring blade forming a resilient stopfor said lifting lever and being positioned at such a level as to press against said lifting lever when it reaches a partial-flush position, said spring blade having sufficient resistance to further upward movement of said lifting lever as 'to be discernible by feel of the operator upon manual movement of the crank arm externally of the tank, said spring blade being capableof being overcome by simple force applied to the crank arm by the operator to produce raising of the valve element to a fulllush position.

4. In a flushing-Water tank of the type wherein a vertical movable valve element normally closes the outlet and a lifting lever is provided within the tank for operating the valve element to displace it vertically from said outlet and a manually operable crank arm is disposed externally of the tank and connected by means of a crank pin with said lever'to lift the same, the combination, comprising: a finger arm` disposed in juxtaposed, side-by-side relationship to said lifting lever and means securing said linger arm in a fixed position inrelation to said tank; said nger arm having an `ear outstanding toward said lifting lever; a base blade forming a shelf outstanding romsaid ear and over said lifting lever to form a stop for the saine; a downwardlybowed spring blade anchored at one end to said ear and overlying said shelf and having its other end portion located above said lifting lever in the path of travel of the same; and a screw element interposed between said base blade and said spring blade for varying the relative spacing of said blades and the tension of the spring l blade, said spring blade forming a resilient stop for said lifting lever and being positioned at such a level as to press against the top of said lifting lever when it reaches a partial-flush position, said spring blade having sufficient resistance to further upward movement of said lifting lever as to be discernible by feel of the operator upon manual movement of the crank arm externally of the tank, said spring blade being capable of being overcome by simple force applied to the crank arm by the operator to produce raising of the valve element to a full-flush position.

5. In a flushing-water tank assembly of the type wherein a single vertically movable valve element-I normally closes the only outlet of the ltank and a manually operable crank assembly is provided for operating the valve element including a crank arm disposed externally of the tank and a lifting lever disposed Within thetank and connected to said valve element to displace the valve element vertically upward from said outlet when said lifting lever is raised by means of manual operation of said crank arm, the improvement, comprising: a spring member having means securing one end of said spring member in a fixed position in relation to said tank, the other end of said spring member being positioned to be engaged by said crank assembly when said crank assembly has been moved to lift said valve element to a partial-flush position, said spring member being disposed to resist further movement of said crank assembly toward moving said valve element to a full-Hush position and having suflicient resistance to be discernible by ieel to a person operating said crank arm externally of said tank, the resistance of said spring member being capable of being overcome by additional force applied to the crank arm by said person, in the same direction as before, to produce raising of the valve element to a full-flush position.

RALPH W. SKUTT.

CORNELIUS R. SKUTT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,992,381 Lyons Feb. 26, 1935 2,001,390 Lester May C14, 1935 2,106,916 Morkisch Feb. l, 1938 

